On Thursday, the Utility Maintenance Crew was hard at work replacing another fire hydrant in town! 🔧 This is a slow but important process, with the goal of eventually replacing every hydrant throughout Oxford as time allows.

Because new hydrants can take a while to arrive after ordering ⏳, the crew gets right to work installing them as soon as they come in — starting with the oldest ones first. This ongoing project helps ensure our infrastructure stays reliable, safe, and up to date. 🏘️

We all hope that no one ever needs to use a fire hydrant 🚫🔥, but if the need ever arises, we want to be sure they’re in top working order to protect our community. ❤️

In honor of Veterans Day, the City Office and Library will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th, as we take time to recognize and thank all who have served our country.

If you experience a utility emergency or any other emergency during this time, please call 911 for assistance.

We will reopen during regular business hours on Wednesday, November 12th.
Thank you for your understanding, and please join us in honoring our nation’s veterans!

The City of Oxford recently held its mayoral and city council elections. For the mayor’s seat, three candidates—Jon Hege, David Olmsted and Marvell Summerow—stood for election. A total of 204 votes were cast. David Olmsted secured 96 votes and won the election for his fourth term as Mayor of Oxford.

In the city council elections, both seats were uncontested. Incumbents Richard Bain and Anthony J. Navrat Jr. ran unopposed and will each serve another four-year term on the Oxford City Council.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to the community members who participated in the election.

At the City Council meeting held last night, November 4, 2025, the Oxford City Council approved a new Backup Generation Policy to ensure consistent and reliable electric service for our community. This policy establishes clear guidelines for the safe and efficient use of backup generators within city limits. It aims to promote reliability during outages while maintaining compliance with state and local regulations. The full policy is available below for your review. Residents may also email or stop by the City Office to request a copy.

For questions or additional information, please contact the City Office at (620) 455-2223.

It was recently brought to our attention that the message included with November’s Utility Bills listed the cost of dog tags as $50.00. This was an error — the correct cost is $5.00.

We apologize for the mistake and appreciate your understanding, because even on our best days, we are still just human!! 

On Friday, October 31st, the Elementary School made a spooktacular visit to the City Office and Library, showing off their spooky, silly, and downright adorable costumes before a night full of Halloween fun! 🧙‍♀️🧛‍♂️🧟‍♀️

We greeted them with candy 🍬, fruit snacks 🍎, and even dressed up in a few costumes of our own! The laughter and excitement filled the air, and we had such a fang-tastic time. 🕸️💀

We loved having them visit and can’t wait to keep this frightfully fun tradition going for years to come! 🧡

The City Crew will be flushing fire hydrants on the Southeast side of town tonight through Thursday evening 🛠️🚒. During this time, you may notice temporary discoloration in your water 🚰⚠️, but don’t worry – it should clear up within 24 hours ⏳✨. Thank you for your patience as we keep our water system safe and running smoothly! 💦

The City of Oxford was in the Halloween spirit this week!! Check out our video inside this article that we had so much fun making! 

The City of Oxford has partnered with Professional Code Compliance, a third-party contractor, to handle all code enforcement matters within the city. This partnership will help ensure that city ordinances are consistently and fairly enforced, keeping Oxford a clean, safe, and welcoming community for all residents.

Professional Code Compliance will oversee enforcement of city codes related to property maintenance, mowing, junk vehicles, environmental violations, vacant and abandoned properties, and condemnations. As part of this process, door hangers will be placed on properties as an initial notice of a violation. If the issue is not corrected, a formal letter will follow outlining the necessary actions and any applicable deadlines.

We appreciate the community’s cooperation as we work together to maintain the beauty and safety of our city. For questions regarding code enforcement, please contact Professional Code Compliance at 316-251-4140 or procodecompliance@icloud.com.

This morning, Oxford Rural Township Fire District #3 visited USD 358 students to talk about the importance of fire safety. Fire Chief Robert Spoon, Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Kopfer, and firefighter Matt Carlson demonstrated some of the equipment they use, including their firesuits, self-contained breathing apparatus, and the Jaws of Life.

Students learned how to safely exit a home in case of a fire and the importance of having a family meeting plan once everyone is outside. They also had the opportunity to ask questions and spend one-on-one time with some of Oxford’s hardworking firefighters. 🚒

The City Crew will be flushing fire hydrants on the Northeast side of town tonight through Thursday evening 🛠️🚒. During this time, you may notice temporary discoloration in your water 🚰⚠️, but don’t worry – it should clear up within 24 hours ⏳✨. Thank you for your patience as we keep our water system safe and running smoothly! 💦

The City Office and Library will be closed on Monday October 13, 2025 in observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day.  For all Utility Needs or Emergencies call 911

Today, the Maintenance Crew was hard at work installing brand-new swings on the toddler swingset at Cave Park! 👷‍♂️🛠️ This project is part of our continued efforts to update and improve playground equipment around town.

The merry-go-round 🎡 that was recently removed from Napawalla Park is also getting a refresh and will soon have a new home at Cave Park. Thanks to the support and dedication of the Oxford Park Board 🙌, residents can look forward to even more park improvements in the near future.

We’re excited to keep making our parks safer, more fun, and enjoyable for everyone in the community! 💚

The City Crew will be flushing fire hydrants on the Northwest side of town tonight through Thursday evening 🛠️🚒.

During this time, you may notice temporary discoloration in your water 🚰⚠️, but don’t worry – it should clear up within 24 hours ⏳✨.

Thank you for your patience as we keep our water system safe and running smoothly! 💦

If you’ve been in Cave Park lately, you may have noticed 🌲 tree work happening on the west side of the park. Unfortunately, the last several years of drought 🌞💧 have taken their toll, and some of the park’s trees didn’t survive.

Our Utility Maintenance Crew 👷‍♂️👷‍♀️ has been hard at work removing the dead trees ahead of winter ❄️. Earlier this year, Kody Kraemer with the Kansas Forest Service 🌾🌲 surveyed the trees we were most concerned about. He explained that the recent weather patterns 🌦️ had especially stressed certain species, leaving them vulnerable to disease 🦠 and insect damage 🐛.

While it’s always sad 😔 to see trees come down, this is also an opportunity for renewal 🌱. Clearing these damaged trees will make space for new plantings 🌳🌼 that will begin in the spring 🌸, ensuring Cave Park continues to be a healthy, shady place 🌤️ for our community to enjoy for years to come ❤️.

October brings many things… cooler weather, fall colors, and of course Public Power Week (October 5th–11th)!

As proud members of the Kansas Power Pool (KPP), our town has teamed up with fellow member, the City of Augusta, to celebrate. Today, Augusta’s team brought down a drone to capture some amazing aerial shots of our generators! 🚁🔌

Next week, our Utility Crew will head over to Augusta for a special lunch (courtesy of the City of Augusta) as part of the celebration.

For 20 years, KPP has been powering Kansas communities, now serving 24 member cities—and we’re proud to be one of them. 💡

Stay tuned… we’ll be sharing those drone photos next week! 📸

This month’s edition is bursting with updates and community news you’ll love!
⚡ Dive into the mystery of Energy Adjustment Charges on your utility bill.
🎉 Mark your calendars for all the fun October events happening in Oxford.
🚸 Spot the new crosswalk signs around town keeping our Wildcats and neighbors safe.

… and that’s just the beginning! 🙌

Grab a cup of coffee (or a pumpkin spice latte 😉) and check out everything happening in Oxford this month!

⚡ Community Update: Lightning Strikes, Crew Responds! ⚡

Sometimes Mother Nature likes to keep us on our toes—and this morning she packed quite a punch! Lightning struck a surge arrestor east of town on 11th Road, and the surge made its way through to the transformer, leaving our Utility Crew with a sparky surprise to tackle today.

But have no fear—our hardworking crew is already on the scene replacing the damaged transformer and working diligently to restore full service. We’re proud of their quick response and dedication, especially when unpredictable Kansas weather decides to put on a show.

We’ll keep everyone updated if any service interruptions occur, but in the meantime, let’s give a big shout-out to our Utility Crew for braving the elements and keeping Oxford powered up. 🌩️🔧💡

This afternoon, our Utility Crew will be replacing an electric line in the 600 block of North Sumner and North Kansas. While the work is underway, residents in this area will experience a temporary power outage. We know outages are inconvenient, and we appreciate your patience as the Utility Crew works to keep Oxford’s electric system safe and reliable. ⚡️🔌💡🛠️👷‍♂️

You may have noticed a new sign on Highway 160 at Michigan Street! There are now several of these crosswalk signs around town to help keep children safe on their way to school.

Increased patrols in school zones have already helped slow traffic, but officers were still seeing drivers fail to stop for pedestrians. These new signs serve as an extra reminder for motorists to always watch for—and stop for—anyone in the crosswalk.

Our top priority is keeping students and parents safe as they head to and from school each day.

This morning our Utility Crew was hard at work—not just on Main Street, but under it too! A leaky valve under the Highway needed replacing, and with today’s cooler temps 🌤️ and no rain 🌧️ in sight, the crew took the perfect opportunity to get the job done.

The valve was several feet beneath the asphalt, so the crew hand-dug 🪣👷 their way under the Highway to make the repair. Water service was only briefly interrupted for RCB Bank 🏦, so the rest of town stayed safe from any shut-off worries 🙌.

If you happen to drive by 🚗 and see our crew in action, be sure to give them a honk 📣 and a wave 👋 to show your support!

In this month’s newsletter, we’ve got exciting updates just for you!
Look inside for the latest park improvements, an announcement from the Oxford Public Library, and details on some BIG events you won’t want to miss. Dive in and see what’s happening around town!

The Oxford Police Department is committed to making sure every student using the Safe Route to School stays safe. New signs have been ordered and placed along College Street in front of the elementary school, with more to come in the weeks ahead!

Please keep an eye out for these signs, remember to slow down in school zones, and always stop for anyone in a marked crosswalk. Together, we can help make this school year safe for all our students!

OH NO!!!
Don’t worry—this is just a picture of what we don’t want to see as the new school year gets underway!

Our Maintenance Crew has been busy refreshing all the crosswalks so they’re bright, safe, and ready for students to use. ✨

As classes begin, please remember to slow down in school zones and keep an eye out for crosswalks. Together, we can help make sure all students get to and from school safely this year! 💛📚

🚨 Sewer Line Care Reminder 🚰

The City of Oxford recently had to clear a significant blockage in a section of the sewer main serving part of town. While the issue was resolved, blockages like this can lead to costly repairs and potential service disruptions for nearby homes.

We’re asking all residents to help protect our sewer system by keeping the following out of sinks, drains, and toilets:

• Grease, fats, and oils – These solidify in pipes and create blockages.

• Wipes of any kind – Even those labeled “flushable” do not break down in the sewer system.

• Paper towels, diapers, and feminine hygiene products – These can clog pipes and cause backups.

• Household chemicals – Certain chemicals can damage pipes and disrupt wastewater treatment.

Sewer misuse can cause problems for the City’s system and your home’s plumbing. Property owners are responsible for repairs within their homes, so proper disposal helps avoid unnecessary costs for everyone.

Thank you for doing your part to keep Oxford’s sewer system safe, clean, and efficient!